The Tales of the Good Witch Dorthea and her Stalwart Companions
by ClasseySpanks
Summary: A sort-of sequel to "Moving Mountains". This will be a series of one-shots, drabbles, short stories in no particular chronological order of the continuing adventures of DG, Cain, Az, Bowen, Glitch, and Raw and company. Likely to be forever in progress as stories pop into my head.
1. Courting

"You wanted an audience with me Commander Bowen? " Azkadellia asked, sitting down to the correspondence she had just received.

"Yes, Your Majesty, I have come to ask permission to court."

Az's hand froze mid writing and then quickly resumed it again.

"No."

"Really?" asked the Commander, eyebrows raising.

Az tried to push down the tightness in her chest and schooled her face into a mask of indifference.

"I'm doing you a favor."

She heard a chair scrape the floor as the Commander seated himself.

"Please explain," he replied.

 _Of all the impertinent..._

"Commander, surely the General and my sister's relationship has not escaped your notice?"

The Commander's brow furrowed.

"And?"

Az's pen slammed to the table.

"We're talking about Wyatt Cain, here."

A sudden look of understanding flashed across the Commander's face and it split into a wide grin.

"Oh, you think I'm asking to court Princess Dorthea? Ozma, no, I meant it when I said I fear the General far more than I fear you. I prefer myself with all of my teeth and as few bullet holes as possible as a general rule. Besides, I have no romantic affection for your sister. I came here to ask the Queen-" he paused gesturing to Az,"for permission to court the Queen," and again gestured towards her.

Az felt something akin to elated terror spark in her chest washing away the previous heaviness.

"But...but," she sputtered,"you don't even like me!"

She watched, surprised to see his face fall, a look of disappointment overtaking his features. "I am sorry I gave you that impression. Please do not mistake my honesty for disapproval."

Bowen stood and walked to the window before speaking again. "Before I met you, I knew only one of two things could be true about the feared crown princess. Either she was actually still evil and this was all a ruse to lure her subjects into a false sense of security...OR the stories were true and she was just as much a victim as the rest of us. Upon meeting you I immediately knew the first possibility to be false."

He paused and turned toward her, leaning a shoulder on the window frame.

"So that only left the second possibility. And for that little girl to emerge from that ordeal as a sane and kind woman is quite remarkable. That would be a woman worth admiring. So, Your Highness," he paused, nodding his head towards her, "Will you allow me to court you?"

"I can't... not just yet," she blurted, a little stunned by his speech, "I granted permission to the son of a lord from the Winkylands."

"Do you have any real interest in him?" asked Bowen, seeming unfazed.

"Ozma, no," exclaimed Az, "I don't even know him and he's terrified of me. He's just doing this to appease his father and I'm allowing it... trying to show I'm a normal Queen and all."

"So no affection for him then?"

Az made a face and shook her head, "No. He sweats profusely and anytime he is around me he can barely stutter a word out. The last time we spoke, he screamed 'don't hex me!' and hid behind his bodyguard. I don't anticipate it to last very long."

She wasn't sure, but she swore she heard him utter "good" underneath his breath.

"So after?" he asked.

Azkadellia grimaced. "Lord Winterun has asked for an audience as well..."

The Commander raised eyebrow in question.

"And then Duke Cunningham," she continued with a wince.

Bowen stepped toward her, perching himself on the edge of her desk close enough to make Azkadellia have to lift her face to look him in the eye.

"Any of them serious prospects?"

"Winterun fancies himself the savy diplomat and is just going through the motions of political maneuvering. I do think Cunningham wants to marry me but only for power and position."

With a nod, Bowen removed himself from the desk and headed towards the door, stopping to bow at the threshold.

"Then I'll leave you to it, my Lady. I, too, have some business to attend to."

He was nearly out the door when Az stood, the sudden movement catching his eye and he waited to see what she wanted.

"When we met... what made you so sure I wasn't the Sorceress?"

A brilliant, genuine smile lit up the Commander's face.

"An evil Sorceress wouldn't blush when a man holds her hand to help her down a step."

And then he pulled the door shut behind him.


	2. Dueling

"What are you doing?!" Az shouted as she approached the men in the snowy field. Bowen sat on a bench sharpening his sword while his opponent was speaking with his second.

"Oh, hello," said Bowen, glancing up briefly before returning to prepping his blade, "This shouldn't take long."

"Why are you dueling this man?" she demanded, coming to a stop directly in front of the Commander.

He stopped working on his sword, giving her a look that told her it should be obvious. "We are all vying for your hand and I considered it only fair to let them know the depths of my sincerity."

"But... you could be killed!" she hissed, her hands going to her hips. Bowen started to laugh but frowned when he looked up and saw her distressed expression.

"You're actually worried..." Bowen sighed. "I'm torn between joy that you are concerned for my well being and dismay that you think that man actually poses a threat. He's barely one and twenty; this will be over quickly, I assure you."

"Well... Jeb Cain is only twenty and he's killed plenty of men!"

Bowen raised eyebrow and peered around her to look at his opponent again.

"That-" he replied, gesturing with his blade, "is no Jeb Cain. Don't worry, my Queen. I'm not going to hurt him and he's not going to hurt me."

"Then what is the point of all this?!" she yelled, frustrated.

"The point?" he repeated, standing to look her better in he eye. "The _point_ is that these men wish to waste your time with insincerity and falsehoods. They hope to manipulate you. Even if my feelings weren't as they are, I would still abhor them for it. They do not deserve your time."

Bowen then bent at the waist in an abbreviated bow and stepped around her to assume his position in the duel. The Earl's son stepped up as well, trembling as he held his sword.

As the duel began, the Commander snapped forward, slapping the side of his blade against the other man's shoulder before flicking it upward to press it against his throat.

"Do you yield?" He asked.

"Oh yes, thank you!" cried out his opponent, jumping forward and giving the Commander a hug before running off the field, his entourage not far behind. An amused commander just turned to Azkadellia and shrugged.

"See? Did him a favor."


	3. Searching

Cain growled out the side of his mouth, "Do something."

"Me? You're the one who's good with animals."

"Horses and dogs, DG!"

"You forgot mobats... Oh, come on, it can't be that different."

"It is a dragon, DG! _A dragon!_ "

"A baby. It's only about the size of a shih zsu right now"

"It still breathes fire!"

"We can't just leave it. Undoubtedly that was it's dead mother we passed on the way in."

Cain sighed and slowly stepped forward, the humidity and salt of the great sea lakes clinging to his skin. He heard a gentle babble and knew DG had summoned water to her just in case he would need a sudden dousing. The metallic bluish-green scales glistened as the creature shuffled away from him, a deep clicking noise emanating from its throat.

Cain moved sideways until he was pressed against the wall of the cave and slid his ruck sack from his shoulder to withdraw some jerky. He broke off a piece and tossed it forward. The dragon sniffed it warily before its tongue slithered out to wrap around and consume the offering. Looking pleased, it shuffled forward toward Cain, clicking in its throat blending to a purr. Cain sat on the ground, incrementally tossing pieces closer and closer to himself until the dragonling was at his feet.

"The things I let you talk me into..." he muttered as he scratched the underside of the creature's chin. DG dropped the water back into a pool in the cave and withdrew the book of Glinda out of her travel pack.

 _Another one,_ she thought and marked the corner of the page.


End file.
